Thousands of musicians are vying at any given time for a glimmer of success. For most, just one hit record would fulfill a lifetime of dreams, which makes Diamond Rio’s accomplishments all that more significant. Fifteen years ago, they too were hoping for that one hit. When the band released its debut single, “Meet In The Middle,” they kept their fingers crossed that it would reach country music’s Top 20—maybe even the Top 10.

That wasn’t enough: The song went all the way to #1, making them the first country group in history to top the chart with a debut single. They piled on enough successive hits to warrant a Greatest Hits album and now, 15 years into their career, Diamond Rio has taken that trip up the national charts so many times that the band is looking at… gulp… Greatest Hits II, a landmark that seems almost insane when the band reflects on the odds.

“Sometimes you can’t believe we’ve done so much,” bass player Dana Williams marvels, recalling that not so long ago, he and his five band mates were among those thousands vying for that one glimmer of success. “It pretty well blows your mind.”